One 6/25/18 the FDA approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, in patients two years of age or older. The significance of this approval is that it is the first FDA-approved drug that contains a drug substance…

I have been frequently heard to say that among the things you are never supposed to debate with your friends and family are sex, money, religion, and Radiation Hazards!! It is a very controversial subject with social, theoretical, and political consequences. There are 2 sides of the fence: 1. every bit of radiation should be…

The long awaited Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) accreditation process is here and not without controversy. Although DBT was approved by the FDA in 2011, facilities are operating under the temporary FDA Certificate Extension Program. The purpose of the temporary “stop-gap” program was to provide an avenue for new technology to be legally used under the…

Radiation-based procedures are increasing in frequency with all the associated inherent risks. A new expert consensus document from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Rhythm Society, North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, in collaboration with Mended Hearts, was published on May 2, 2018….

The Joint Commission is revising standards to better address risks related to the provision of fluoroscopy and CT in the Ambulatory Care, Critical Access Hospital, Hospital, and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs. The open comment period ended in April and the final revisions are forthcoming. The changes reflect The Joint Commission commitment to implementing Element(s) of…

Some of the latest chatter via Rad Tech communities have been directed at how we do our work. I have always found this topic to be extremely interesting. There are many rad techs who will insist that their method is correct. After all, they have been doing it that way since they entered the field. …

EQUIP Year 1. There were 8,486 annual MQSA inspections between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 new results reveal 43% of those inspections had one or more EQUIP deficiencies! The educational year for the EQUIP Initiative ended on March 2, 2018. Now inspections performed at MQSA facilities with EQUIP deficiencies are being issued Level…

“Last century machines proved they could replace human muscle. This century, technologies are proving they can outperform human left brains – they can execute sequential, reductive, computational work better, faster and more accurately than even those with the highest IQs.” (Chaffee, 44) Consider lawyers for example, dozens of inexpensive, if not free, legal services and…

Did you know? It is estimated that there are over 1.7 million cases of healthcare associated infections (HAI) at any given time just in the U.S. Healthcare workers are often the conduit, or culprit, for the spread of these infections. 100,000 deaths related to HAI’s could have been prevented and the healthcare costs of $20…